Different
by DreamofRosey
Summary: Ailey is an angel, cast out by her people. On her quest to find a place where she can fit in, she meet the great demon Earl Raum Michaelis and wage a bet that will change her life forever.
1. Prologue

The idealized world of heaven isn't as perfect as it is made out to be, it is a world just as cruel as any other. Just because the color of my wings were different from theirs I was cast out, ridiculed and out lawed. They hated me to the point where they were my own parents wanted to see me dead. That was why I decided to leave this so called "paradise". I wanted to seek out a world where I wouldn't be estranged because of the way my wings looked, a world where I wouldn't have to fight my way through every single day. What I didn't know was that I would gain so much more than I ever could have dreamed.

My name is Ailey Dawn Khiara Stanley and I was born with one wing as white as the freshly fallen snow and one wing as black as the darkest of nights. For that simple reason I was cast aside by everyone that was supposed to love and care for me, by my family and by my people. I was beaten and almost killed. That is how I - an angel - ended up in hell, searching for something that could make me happy. For something that could take away my loneliness. And that was how I met the great demon Earl Raum Michaelis and waged a bet that would change my life forever;

If I managed to collect five souls within a month he would take my hand in marriage, I would truly become a part of the world of the world that I had grown so found of. If I failed, my immortal soul would be his forever.


	2. Chapter 1

I was making my way back to earl Bachmann's estate after spending the time I had been given in the human world. I can't believe I managed to pull it off. Five souls within one month, surely that had to be some kind of record! As I walk my mind started slipping back to the day this had all started.

I had been wandering through the world known as hell for quite some runtime. I might not have been met by warm smiles and open arms but the children didn't run in fear, the adults didn't look at me with cold eyes and no one whispered hateful words in my ears. There was a curious glimmer in their eyes as I passed them by.  
"So this is the angel wandering through hell" an arrogant voice said behind me. I turn around and is met by a handsome, black haired man with beautiful, red eyes. Curiosity glittered in his crimson orbs.  
"And you are…?" I ask him politely.  
"I'm surprised, _angel_. Do you know anything about this world?" he says as if he is _so _important.  
"My name is Ailey, not "angel" I say as my cheeks started to burn. The way he talked and the way he dressed suggested that he was someone that even I - an angel - should know.  
"Ailey…" he mumbles and a shiver ran down my spine. My name sure sounded nice coming from his mouth. "My name is Raum, Earl Raum Michaelis" he's an Earl? That does explain the arrogance.  
"It's nice to meet you, earl."  
"You know, I've been wondering for a while now. Why are you here, angel?"  
"I told you, my name isn't "angel"!" I pout. "I'm here because I can't be there…" I mumble, kind of hoping that he didn't hear.  
"Hmm…" he muttered and I can see a plan forming behind his eyes. "Then how would you like to become a part of this world?" As I processed his words a feeling of hope grew in my chest, could I finally find a place where I belong?  
"Is it possible…" I mumble, more to myself then as a responses to his question, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.  
"There is a condition, of course."  
"Condition?" I can't say I didn't feel slightly suspicious at his words, but the seed of hope that he so cleverly planted in my mind cancelled out the fear of being hurt.  
"Let's make a bet" he said. "If you manage to collect five souls within a month I will take you as a bride, thus allowing you to truly become a part of this world" low murmurs began to spread around the small crowd that had gathered around us, a demon taking an angel for a bride must surely be unheard of.  
"What if I fail?" I ask, feeling flustered about the seemingly impossible task he had presented to me, yet the temptation of the reward was pulling me forward.  
"Then your soul will be mine" he stated, as if it was obvious. He wanted my soul? I suppose I could see how the immortal soul of an angel would be something desirable for a demon. This was an obvious trap, yet I felt my heart beat speed up in excitement at the thought of having a place where I belong. A place I could call home.  
"I'll do it, I accept" Wait. _What_? What did I just say? My mouth had just spoken _without _consulting with my brain first but I didn't regret the decision. I suppose, no matter what I didn't have much to lose.

The giant, gothic mansion looked more like a castle than a mansion and the beautiful gardens surrounding it made it seem as if it had been taken straight out of a fairy tale. It was hard to believe that this place existed in a place painted as such a dark and horrible place. Although it was true that this word was encased in an eternal night, but to me the moonlight simply added to the beauty and mysteriousness of this place. I briefly place my hand over the complex design that had formed over my heart the day we had made the bet. The mark of a demons contract. An irrevocable bond between the contractor and the contracté, between master and servant or in this case - husband and wife.

As I walk up the steps the large wooden doors swung open. "We've been expecting you, Ms. Stanley" I'm greeted by a grey-haired man wearing frameless glasses and a black suit. He showed me into a large study situated on the second floor, sitting at the beautiful oak desk is earl Michaelis.  
"You actually managed to collect them…"  
"Y-yeah" I stutter at his bluntness, he didn't even say 'hello'! What happened to _small talk_?!  
"I do believe that I promised you a wedding" he smiles a weirdly sweet and gentle smile at me, but his eyes remained cold and calculating.

The following week passed in a blur. I was dressed up in beautiful gowns, jewelry and shoes, I was prettied up in any way imaginable, all to fit the part I would soon be playing - as earl Michaelis wife. Then came the "big day". It was a beautiful ceremony held in the moonlit garden. There were a few important guests attending, but overall it was kept a very small and quiet wedding. Even so I did not escape the disapproving looks that followed me all through the evening. Earl Raum was handsomely dressed in all black and he was smiling through the entire night, but his eyes revealed that this had not been the outcome he had been hoping for, yet he didn't seem entirely unpleased either - although that was something he carefully hid away, only briefly glimmering in his beautiful, crimson eyes.

Only a few days later my newly turned husband left for business in the human world, leaving me alone in the giant mansion. I spent my days practicing my swordsmanship, reading and playing with the many animals who lived at the estate. The only real downside was that I wasn't allowed to leave the premises, especially not without an escort. I felt like a prisoner in a luxury prison, constantly guarded by well-dressed guards.

More than two years passed and for every fleeting day I grew more and more restless, then one fateful day everyone became preoccupied with some rampaging horses, giving me more freedom than usual. Once I realized that I had been temporarily forgotten I quickly decided on my next course of action. Going to see my _husband _couldn't be that bad, could it?


End file.
